To test the new Olivon TRH-16 head, I used on an Olivon TR189 tripod and mounted a 25×100 pair of binoculars weighing 4.7kg on top.
First thing that I noticed was the very small tension adjuster for the tilt. At first it seemed “not right” on a heavy duty tripod head. It soon became apparent that this was not an issue. I,m guessing that there are some clever “dampening springs” inside that help cushion the movement. End result is that even with 4.7kgs of binocular on board, you can set the tension very low, and the head stays nicely in place when you let go. This means you can move heavy binoculars , cameras and spotting scopes with a couple of fingers.
Both pan and tilt movements are silky smooth with no friction felt whatsoever. So I decided to put the dampening to the ultimate test and did something I would not normally recommend. With the heavy binoculars on board, I moved them along the binocular central bar to make them extremely front heavy. I then set the tension to medium (this is what you would have them set on) and I let go. You would expect to hear the sound of broken glass on metal. But no. The dampening stopped the binoculars before they hit the tripod.
The TRH-16 is not only suitable for heavy optics, the feather touch movement will also make it ideal for lighter optics such as compact cameras.
No wonder this superb mount was featured in the BBC Sky at Night magazine. At under £100 (at the time of this review) it is well within many peoples budgets
To purchase, or see full specs, click here